This application makes reference to, incorporates the some herein, and claims all benefits accruing under 35 U.S.C. xc2xa7119 and xc2xa7120 by virtue of a patent application earlier filed in the Korean industrial Property Office on Jul. 7, 1995 entitled FACTORY MODE SETTING APPARATUS AND METHOD THEREOF which was duly assigned Ser. No. 95-19928 by that Office.
The present invention relates in general to an apparatus and method for setting factory modes of operation in a monitor and more particularly, to an apparatus and method for free setting the operating modes of a monitor by writing factory mode timing data transmitted from an external controller into a memory device by way of operation of a microcomputer housed therein, thereby providing an adjustable operation mode setting that is responsive to user requirements.
Factory mode adjustment is a comprehensive technical term generally accepted in the arts, and refers to a pre-arrangement of adjusting various parameters required for proper operation of a monitor when delivered from a warehouse for a user""s convenience. In consequence, when a monitor is placed in a powered on state, the screen size of a display is displayed on the screen of a monitor according to preset user mode data when prearranged by user adjustment; otherwise, a factory mode setting is then displayed.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus and method for setting in a monitor, an operating mode selected by user interaction with an external controller.
It is another object to provide an apparatus and method for setting factory mode adjustment by transferring data including factory mode timing data from an external controller to an electrically erasable programmable read only memory by operation of a microcomputer housed in a monitor, by way of either serial interface communication or inter-integrated circuit bus communication, thereby enabling a monitor to visually display a view illustrating a factory mode adjustment in response to user requirements.
It is still another object to provide an apparatus and method for allowing a product manufacturer or a product user to change factory mode timing data stored in a memory of the monitor or an external controller.
A factory mode free setting apparatus constructed according to the principles of the present invention incorporates an external controller for transmitting factory mode timing data stored in a memory thereof to a memory device in a monitor for storage, and a monitor for storing such data in its memory responsive to control signals generated by the external controller.
A process for setting a factory mode of operation of a monitor according to the principles of the present invention is contemplated with the steps of providing transmission and reception of factory mode data between external controller and monitor. During the factory mode data transmission, factory mode start data is transmitted to a microcomputer housed in a monitor when a factory mode storage key signal is input at an input terminal of an external controller, factory mode timing data being transmitted to the microcomputer until a factory mode end key signal is input at the terminal when the result of a comparison of factory mode start data communication exchanged between the external controller and the microcomputer is favorable, and transmitting to the microcomputer a factory mode end data signal when a factory mode end key signal is input at the terminal.
During the factory mode reception associated with this factory mode transmission, factory mode start data is received therefrom, received factory mode timing data transmitted from the external controller is stored in factory mode addresses provided in a memory in a monitor and reception of terminal mode timing data is ended when factory mode end data is received at an input terminal of microcomputer in a monitor.
The factory mode setting apparatus includes an external controller generating factory mode timing data input by a product manufacturer and a monitor device receiving the factory mode timing data and displaying a picture corresponding to the factory mode timing data.
The factory mode setting method includes the steps of inputting a factory mode timing data into the external controller by the manufacturer or the user, transmitting starting data from the external controller to the microprocessor of the monitor, transmitting the starting data received by the microprocessor of the monitor back to the external controller, making a first determination of whether the starting data transmitted by the external controller is identical to the starting data transmitted from the microprocessor of the monitor to the external controller, transmitting factory mode timing data from the external controller to the microprocessor on the basis of the first determination, transmitting the factory mode timing data received by the microprocessor of the monitor back to the external controller, making a second determination of whether the factory mode timing data transmitted by the external controller is identical to the factory mode timing data transmitted back to the external controller from the microprocessor of the monitor, transmitting factory mode timing data from the external controller to the microprocessor of the monitor and storing the factory mode timing data in a main memory of the monitor.